Thursday, April 17, 2008

America has depended on coal as a primary source of energy for a number of reasons. Coal is relatively inexpensive and there's no limited supply in danger of running out anytime soon.

But what we didn't plan for when we began burning coal for energy was the impact that depending on coal would have on the environment. The notion that coal has been cleaned up is a myth according to Jeff Goodell, author of the book Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America's Energy Future. Goodell told a crowded auditorium at Ohio University's Scripps Hall on Wednesday night that a pile of coal containing one million B.T.U.'s worth of energy costs $1.70. The equivalent amount of natural gas runs about $9..

Jeff Goodell discusses some of the environmental costs of coal

In fact, Goodell said the statement "clean coal" makes about as much sense as "fat free doughnuts." In the 1970s, the government made an effort to reduce air pollution by switching to coal with lower sulfur content. This made virtually no difference because less sulfur means fewer B.T.U.s (the unit used to measure heat). So in order to produce the same amount of heat, a lot more of the "clean coal" had to be burned.

That's a huge problem. Why? Because burning coal emits a tremendous amount of carbon dioxide into the air. Goodell says about 40% of all carbon dioxide emissions come from coal! And all the new legislation in the works to regulate carbon dioxide emissions means the price of coal is going to be steadily increasing over the next few years, similar to the way natural gas prices skyrocketed.

Dr. David Bayless is the director of the Ohio Coal Research Center at Ohio University. He expects Congress to implement a cap-and-trade regulation on carbon dioxide emissions in the very near future. That means that there will be a fixed amount of acceptable emissions from plants and factories and anything over that will carry a charge.

Bayless says this will create a ripple effect which could cause coal prices to possibly double or triple. That means the cost of powering your home will be much higher. So he suggests looking to clean and renewable energy sources like solar and wind power. Right now, these technologies aren't affordable for everyone. So what's the most practical thing everyone can do to lower costs? Bayless says it's CONSERVATION! By simply switching to compact fluorescent bulbs and turning off lights when you leave a room, you could see a reduction in your energy costs.